I watched The Machinist last night starring Christian Bale. There was some controversy around the time of this movie's release regarding the way Bale starved himself to look as thin as he does. In this movie, there are several shots of him without his shirt, and he looks exactly like a holocaust victim.

Starvation aside, this movie is incredible. Bale's character's name is Trevor Reznik, a name reminiscent of Trent Reznor, the lead singer for Nine Inch Nails. And because of the gritty, dark, and mechanical nature of the film, the movie certainly feels like a NIN song.

Perhaps because of its NIN'ness, I was expecting a lot of violence and depravity. Watching it, you feel as though at any moment someone is going to kill someone, someone's going to get raped, someone's going to suffer at the hands of a psychopath. When the plot finally unravels and you receive the epiphany the movie builds toward, you do a double-take, think back upon the events of the movie, and realize nothing of the sort has happened.

That being said, there is an extremely disturbing scene where someone's arm is chewed up by machinery. It happens relatively early and you get plenty of warning, so if you are squeamish, I strongly recommend closing your eyes for this part. Once you're past this, if you can make it through the uncomfortable ambiance this movie places you in, you won't regret it. The way every scene folds back into itself and the imagery subtly echoes and layers upon itself once you reach the ending is astounding. The hour of discomfort you feel is a small price to pay for such an incredible payoff.

Labels: 5 stars